in-cyprus 14 February 2026 - by Vassos Vassiliou
Consumers will face day-on, day-off water cuts reminiscent of 2008–2009, while breakdowns are expected to surge by 30%, extending outages and driving up costs.
These estimates come from the Nicosia District Local Government Organisation (EOA). Allowing for differences in scale, consumers served by the other regional water boards are expected to face the same – or even greater – problems.
The cuts will stem from a 10% reduction in water supply to be imposed by the Water Development Department. The move is expected to burden consumers across Cyprus with costs running into several million euros, while depriving them of water on demand, as they have it today.
At the same time as households go without water, valuable quantities will be lost to the ground as leaks increase, despite the significant sums spent in recent years to curb them. In Nicosia alone, where the network ranks among the best and the board operates specialised and experienced repair crews, breakdowns are forecast to rise by 30%.
Exaggeration? No, says the Nicosia EOA, citing its experience of the 2008–2009 cuts.
In short, the restrictions will also push up non-revenue water – that is, water lost from pipelines due to faults – by around 5%. The system will need about three years to return to its current state.
We asked the president of the Nicosia EOA, Constantinos Yiorkatzis, for his position on the planned cuts and the expected impact of repeatedly shutting and reopening the supply, with the sharp pressure spikes each time valves are turned back on.
Mr. Yiorkatzis said the organisation, having a clear picture of its network, examined the prospect of reduced supply from the Water Development Department to its reservoirs and drew up water management scenarios based on a permanent 10% shortfall over 12 months.
After a technical assessment of the network’s characteristics – including reservoir capacity, trunk main operations and the need to maintain adequate pressure – the board concluded that the only technically feasible and operationally safe method of applying the cuts is alternating supply on a day-on, day-off basis.
According to Mr. Yiorkatzis, this method:
It ensures an equal and fair distribution of the available water.
It prevents reservoirs and main supply pipelines from running dry.
It reduces the risk of system collapse due to hydraulic instability.
The proposed plan requires splitting the network into two broader sections, A and B, with alternating supply days as follows:
Section A: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Section B: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Setting out the impact during the year of reduced supply and the three years that follow, Mr. Yiorkatzis stressed that the projections are not assumptions or uncertain estimates but are based on the board’s management of real events during the 2008–2009 cuts.
He said applying the plan for 12 months is expected to bring significant additional operational and technical consequences.
The board will need extra staff, including the creation of four additional crews to handle daily shut-offs and reopenings of areas and to manage problems on site.
Breakdowns and reports are expected to rise by 30%, mainly due to a lack of supply, low pressure and water turbidity after restoration.
He added that repeated stress on the network from frequent pressure changes is expected, over the two to three years after the cuts are imposed, to cause more leaks and new pipe failures, as well as an average 5% increase in non-revenue water.
The organisation estimates it will take three years to restore the network and non-revenue water levels to those recorded before the year of reduced supply.
On the financial impact of a 10% reduction in water volumes supplied by the Water Development Department over 12 months, Mr. Yiorkatzis set out the following estimates.
During the year of reduction, the board expects a loss of revenue from water sales of about €1,150,000 and additional costs for extra crews, handling reports and repairing faults of about €1,650,000, bringing the total to roughly €2,800,000.
Over the three years following the reduction year, it expects consequential network damage due to stress costing about €2,600,000 and an increase in non-revenue water, averaging 5% for three years, costing about €3,600,000, for a total of roughly €6,200,000.
Mr. Yiorkatzis said the indicative overall cost for the Nicosia EOA will be in the region of €9 million.
